The US approach to underage drinking

TPD

togster wrote:

They dont do shots or drink to get pissed IMO.

You cant have an opinion about what someone does or doesnt do, they either do it or dont. And unless you've asked every single person, you can't know if they drink to get pissed.

Personally, I drink on a friday night, always over the legal limit but never over my personal limit. I'd sometimes stop for a month or two to lower my personal limit a bit.

togster

TPD wrote:

You cant have an opinion about what someone does or doesnt do, they either do it or dont. .

Eh yeah i can. As stated above that is my opinion. Like it is my opinion that we have a serious drinking problem. I didn't ask every irish person i formed the opinion because of my personal experiences.:rolleyes:

wyk

First, and most importantly, this is a Virginia case, not a US government case. There is no Federal law that requires you withhold alcohol from your children until 21. All there is is a promise from the Federal government to give out grant money for certain things like freeway construction etc. if you make a public law for your state that restricts the sales of Alcohol to persons under the age of 21. EVERY individual state, all 50 of them, has a distinctly different law regarding drinking, ages, when and where, and how. Within those states, every county and city has their own distinct laws regarding alcohol. In fact, all 50 states have very different laws from each other in general, and their counties often differ as well. So generalizing the US is about the same as generalizing the entirety of Europe.

The issue was NOT specifically underage drinking. The issue was the adult was hosting a party for the children of other adults and allowed 15-16 year olds a nearly unrestricted use of alcohol during the event. Many states, cities, and counties allow you to give your own child alcohol within the confines of your own property, under your own watch. But when you have someone else's children over, you must have the parent's consent to purvey alcohol in nearly every state. THIS is what she was tried on - multiple counts of breaking this law of consent.

Even so, she will likely only serve 1/3 of the 2 year sentence(as is typical) and be released on probation as a worst case scenario. Best case, she will have the case knocked down to a misdemeanor (unless she has participated in other felonious activities, a fact we do not know and could have been introduced at trial) and simply get probation. Or, the governor may outright commute her sentence.

In any case, had my 15 year old been to her party, and she told them not to tell me they were given a significant amount of alcohol, I would be upset. I would like to think another adult would consider the care of my child to be important. Her asking the children to lie showed she knew she was doing something wrong. I am sure that came out in court as well. It is also called coercion of a minor in many places, and is illegal - a felony in most states.

Here's the Texas system purely based upon counties:

http://www.texassafetynetwork.org/issues/wet_dry/map_list/index.php
Here's the explanation:
http://www.texassafetynetwork.org/issues/wet_dry/faq/index.php

You'll note in order to pass thru to northern Texas panhandle, you have to pass clearly through entirely dry counties. Some of these counties do not even allow the transportation of certain types of alcohol.

Every single one of those counties you see there - all 254 of them in Texas, have different rules for things from traffic, and parking, to alcohol, as do the cities within, and the States the counties are in. Consider that next time ya feel like generalizing American laws.

You can thank our insanely conservative Protestant forefathers for such a predicament (amongst a slough of others). We're prudes, and hate alcohol, but LOVE violence. Go figure.

Now here's an example of how much differently another state can interpret the Federal law of 'open containers'. Most states consider it to be, well, an open container. But Louisiana considers a cup with a lid a closed container. And, it is also not illegal to drink while driving, just illegal to be over the limit of .08 while driving. Yes, that's serious:

All of that is legal - the gun I have a permit to carry with me at all times(though in most states you do not need a permit to keep one in a vehicle, or while traveling), and Louisiana considers that 32 ounce Banana Daquiri to be in a closed container. I have long since switched to Lucky Strikes, though.

If I were caught with that combination in my truck at the Texas or Arkansas borders, I would have been instantly jailed and charged with serious crimes, not the least of which being I had a banana daquiri.... So I ditched the daquiri on the way back to Texas.

By the way, that daquiri was purchased at a drive thru:

http://www.pbase.com/wyk/image/17543027

Here's the menu:
http://www.pbase.com/wyk/image/17542991

The prices are rather reasonable...

I think that's Lafayette, Louisiana, or maybe Lake Charles.


Y'all take care now,

Wez